Graduate Studies

 

First Advisor

James A. Bovaird

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Caron Clark, Michelle Krehbiel, Shinya Takahashi

Department

Educational Psychology Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods) and Human Sciences (Exercise Physiology)

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Majors: Educational Psychology (Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods) and Human Sciences (Exercise Physiology)

Under the supervision of Professor James A. Bovaird

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Amelia Anne Miramonti. Used by permission

Abstract

Background: Youth sport participation is associated with numerous positive developmental outcomes, including potential cognitive benefits. However, research examining sport-cognition links often uses simplistic operationalizations of sport participation and cross-sectional designs, limiting causal inference and understanding of specific sport characteristics' roles. This study aimed to develop and compare a novel, nuanced sport participation scoring method against common operationalizations in predicting cognitive outcomes in a large youth sample, while controlling for general physical activity and health as a first step towards more robust longitudinal analyses.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Year 2 follow-up (n ≈ 9,000–11,000 depending on analysis, ages 10.6–14.0 years). Sport participation was operationalized using four methods: 1) binary athlete/non-athlete, 2) open-skill versus closed-skill sport participation, 3) strategic versus interceptive versus static (equivalent to closed-skill) sport participation, and 4) a novel Motor Skill Complexity-Volume Index (MSCVI) based on Gentile's Taxonomy of Motor Skills, invasion game context, and estimated annual participation hours. Cognitive outcomes included NIH Toolbox cognition measures (Pattern Comparison Processing Speed, Picture Sequence Memory, Flanker Inhibitory Control & Attention, Picture Vocabulary, Oral Reading Recognition), Little Man Task Efficiency (a mental rotation task), and Rey’s Auditory Verbal Learning Test Delayed Recall. Latent variables representing general health and physical activity were included as covariates. Structural equation modeling was used to compare models and examine moderation by binary indicators of sex (male/female), poverty status (above/below the poverty line), and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White/any other race or ethnicity) using a multi-group approach.

Results: All sport operationalizations showed statistically significant positive associations with most cognitive outcomes in the baseline models. After controlling for latent health and physical activity factors, these associations were attenuated but generally remained significant, though effect sizes were small (standardized βs < 0.15). The MSCVI demonstrated significant positive associations with all measured cognitive outcomes after controlling for covariates. Differentiating sport types revealed nuances: open-skill, strategic, and interceptive sports generally showed broader cognitive associations than closed-skill/static sports after accounting for covariates. Significant moderation was observed, most notably by poverty status; sport-cognition associations were substantially weaker or non-significant in the below-poverty subgroup across most models and outcomes, although low statistical power in this subgroup warrants caution. Moderation by race/ethnicity and gender was also present for specific operationalizations and outcomes. The latent physical activity factor often showed unexpected negative associations with cognitive outcomes when controlling for health, suggesting that the cognitive benefits of physical activity are largely mediated through improvements in health.

Conclusion: Quantifying youth sport participation using nuanced methods like the MSCVI, which considers skill complexity and volume, reveals significant relationships with cognitive function beyond general physical activity and health. However, effect sizes are modest, and benefits are moderated by socioeconomic context, although further research should explore whether these findings are attributable to subgroup imbalance or other confounders. Findings highlight the importance of detailed sport operationalization but underscore that sport participation's cognitive correlates are complex and dependent on sport type. Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify causal pathways and the practical significance of these effects. However, such research should consider the potential benefits of sport across multiple domains beyond cognition (e.g., physical activity, physical and mental health, social-emotional development) before discounting small effects on individual outcomes.

Advisor: James A. Bovaird

Download

Share

COinS